July 18, 2013 09:03 PM CDTJuly 19, 2013 05:03 PM CDTEditorial: How do you apologize for demolishing the wrong house?

Editorial: How do you apologize for demolishing the wrong house?

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Paul Moseley/Fort Worth Star-Telegram

Only the slab remains of the Lake Worth area home at 9716 Watercress Drive owned by David Underwood, development director for the United Community Centers nonprofit in Fort Worth. A contracted crew mistakenly tore down the wrong home in Fort Worth on July 12 after they were supposed to wreck a condemned house next door.

Today, when Americans enjoy — or endure — more government than ever, the quality of most public sector work isn’t in question. We know it isn’t so great. It’s necessary, even essential, and not always easy, but doing it poorly usually doesn’t put a government out of business.

This idea has festered over the years and now is symbolized in a dismissive excuse: “Hey, it’s close enough for government work.” If a government worker says it, it’s self-deprecating; if a private worker says it, it’s not a compliment.

Here’s what we mean: Fort Worth, like every other city, must manage its housing stock, cite violators and, when necessary, eliminate the unredeemable structures from the face of the earth.

“Close enough for government work” means a recent house demolished by Fort Worth-hired contractors might be a vacant fixer-upper with no code violations and otherwise not on the city’s radar.

Oh, wait, you mean the house next door?

When close counts: horseshoes, hand grenades. When it doesn’t: home demolition.

None of this could have occurred to David Underwood on Saturday, as he and his wife drove up to 9716 Watercress Drive along Lake Worth. It had been his grandmother’s house and stayed in his family. Soon to be empty-nesters, the Underwoods planned to sell their other home, renovate this one and move in. Just back from out of town, he had planned to mow the yard at the lake house.

As he told Channel 4 news, “My wife said, ‘David … I think the house is gone,’” which indeed is something a person might notice. “We looked up there and, sure enough, it’s gone!” he confirmed. Just a concrete slab and a mailbox with a number on it: 9716.

The house next door — 9708 Watercress — apparently had been scheduled for demolition since January. A neighboring property owner saw bulldozers at the wrong house last Friday and tried to alert the city, to no avail. (“Boss, yeah, I got a guy on the phone who says we’re tearing down the wrong house. … What? … Yes, way.”)

The city did ’fess up in a statement, although it studiously avoided a simple apology, which seems like the least it could do.

Well, that and pay up. Underwood appears to be taking this better than most of us might. He says he’d be fine with market value for the 1,300-square-foot, three-bedroom home, built in 1951. That’s $122,200, according to the Tarrant Appraisal District. As to the root question — “How in the world?” — the city says it’s looking into it.

And if it’s not too much trouble, Underwood says, could the city send someone to get rid of the slab? It’s not much good anymore.

In fact, if it sends the same guys, they’ll know the lot. It’s the one with no house on it.

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